In this day of online resources, indeed many people overlook their local library. I have found many good books on subjects I am building. I am particularly pleased at several books I found there on aircraft cockpits.
My library has a book sale periodically to get rid of old or damaged stuff. For a buck or two (forget which) I just picked up a great book- a photo essay by a passenger on the Titanic. He did not have the time, fortunately for the whole trip, so only sailed on it from Britain to France to Ireland. But he really photographed a lot of the ship details that modelers need!